Man Tries To Dissolve Lover In Acid, 'Breaking Bad' Style

Long Story Short

A man in London, UK was convicted of murdering a sex partner and trying to dissolve him in acid.

Long Story

It’s the scene that, for many viewers, changed Breaking Bad from a pretty good drama about a man coping with his terminal lung cancer diagnosis into essential viewing: co-protagonist Jesse Pinkman dissolves the body of a former associate in a bathtub full of acid and, because the acid eats through everything except the acid-proof plastic container recommended by his partner Walter White, the remains of the bathtub, the ceiling below it and the lump of human remains come crashing, splashing down in the hallway below. It’s a horrible, shocking scene, and leaves a lasting impression.

It certainly did on Stefano Brizzi. The 50-year-old London man is an avowed fan of the show, so much so that he was inspired by it to dispose of the corpse of a man he’d just murdered.

On Monday, a British court sentenced the Italian-born former Morgan Stanley web developer to 24 years in prison for the murder of Gordon Semple, a 59-year-old police constable whom he’d met on the gay dating app Grindr. After making contact, Semple visited Brizzi at his home on April 1 for a “hot, dirty, sleazy session,” according to media reports.

What exactly happened next is unclear. Brizzi said Semple died accidentally while being strangled by a dog leash, but that explanation didn’t satisfy police, who maintained that Semple’s death would have taken longer than what Semple posited. Adding to their suspicion was the appearance of a third man who was supposed to have joined the pair. He showed up later but was turned away by Brizzi at his front door, suggesting to police that Semple had already been murdered.

Days after being reported missing, Brizzi’s neighbors reported a “putrid smell” emanating from his apartment. When cops visited, they discovered the horrifying remains of PC Semple. They found bits of flesh in the bathtub and more in plastic buckets Brizzi had purchased after the murder. Evidence also shows Brizzi buying items like scissors, knives, cleaning products and perforated sheet metal.

Investigators also found “pools of human fat” in the oven and a gnawed human rib in a trashcan. They also discovered bags containing bones and a piece of Semple’s head. A human foot was found in a nearby park, though Brizzi admitted he’d disposed of other parts of the body in the river Thames.

Brizzi is said to have been “obsessed” with Breaking Bad, and was himself a crystal meth addict. He admitted to being high on the drug while trying to get rid of Semple’s body. Brizzi claims to have “no recollection” of it and was “utterly horrified” by his actions.

Friends and family described Semple, a 30-year Metropolitan police veteran, as a caring and gentle man, respected and beloved in his community.

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Drop This Fact

Mythbusters has proven that you can’t really dissolve a body in a bathtub using hydrofluoric acid, as Walter and Jesse did in Breaking Bad.